What Coach Mike Woodson Said at Indiana Basketball Media Day
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The 2023-24 Indiana men's basketball season is right around the corner, with the first exhibition game in 39 days.
Coach Mike Woodson spoke at Wednesday's Indiana basketball media day at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to preview the season.
He discussed topics like his busy offseason recruiting in the transfer portal, Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway as team captains, the incoming freshman class, replacing Trayce Jackson-Davis, his sense of urgency heading into the year and much more.
Here's everything Woodson said.
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
Opening statement
Woodson: "Well, let me just start by saying it's been a very productive summer, meaning I had to go in and have knee surgery, get my knee replaced, and along with my staff, I hobbled around this summer and we were able to build our basketball team back with six newcomers and scholarship guys, and then we've got four walk-ons, so we've got 10 new people to our ballclub. A lot of work that's got to be done before we open up against Marian here in our practice game. With that being said, I'll open the floor up for questions."
On how impactful Mackenzie Mgbako can be this year:
Woodson: "Only time will tell. He's capable of putting the basketball in the hole. He's shown that this summer. We've got to help him as coaches and put him in the best position possible to be successful and help us. I'm expecting big things from him, but I'm not putting a lot of pressure on him. He's a freshman. I think when you're building a basketball team, you've got to reach out and get a little bit from everybody. The freshmen that were freshmen last year that are sophomores, they've got to step up and play like sophomores, and juniors that are seniors like X and Galloway, they've got to give us more. Sophomores got to give us more. There's a lot that's got to be done between now and the time we step out on the floor against Marian and start playing actual basketball, but Mackenzie is a big part to the puzzle. That's why we went and recruited him."
On what Indiana needs from Xavier Johnson:
Woodson: "Well, I thought two years ago, make no mistake about it, we got in the tournament because of Xavier Johnson and his play coming down the home stretch. Last year was a setback year for him. We didn't come into last season thinking that we would lose our starting point guard, and that was a blow for us in the stretch where we struggled to win games. This year, X has played more basketball games in college than anybody on our ballclub, so I expect him to lead, be a point guard and be a leader on and off the floor and put us in position to win basketball games. That's what it's all about."
On Xavier Johnson taking on a leadership role:
Woodson: "I think he's doing all the right things, along with Galloway. I named both of those two guys captains. But again, we've got to play games. We've got to get better and practice on both ends of the floor. He's got to play a role in that. I'm hard on captains. I've always been that way. Bob Knight was hard on me as a captain when I was here. You're not given that title just to be given it. You've got to earn it, and you've got to be held accountable in terms of not only putting yourself in position to help us win, but getting guys to play at a high level around you. That's important."
On becoming more comfortable as a college coach, handling recruiting, NIL and expectations:
Woodson: "I took this job to win Big Ten titles and national titles and I've fallen short the first two years. I'm always optimistic as a coach when I go into a season. This season is no different. We've got to go and win a Big Ten title, and then once we're fortunate to get into tournament play, then we figure it out there. This summer, I recruited more. I had to. We lost four seniors. We lost three guys that left with -- basically we lost 10 guys last year with the two walk-ons, as well. So we had to go out and build our team back. I'm pleased with the players that we've brought in, knowing that when you add a lot of pieces to your team, there's a lot of work that comes with that. I'm not pleased and happy right now where we are as a ballclub because there is a lot of work that's still left on the table that we've got to get these guys to understand who we are and what we're about and how we want to play on both ends of the floor. Only time will tell. We start official practice on the 26th where I can get them a little longer now. That hour, four hours a week, it's okay, but it's not like being out on the floor two and a half, three hours. That's what I'm looking forward to."
On putting a new lineup together:
Woodson: "Well, again, I think practice and competition in practice will unveil who starts because I don't know right now who's really going to be the starters. That's important, but what's important to me along with my staff is getting players to play at a high level and playing together and doing it the right way on both ends of the floor. That's what's going to be the driving force in winning basketball games, I think. You know, I think all our guys are curious. They're eager. They come to work. They accept coaching. That's important when you're talking about building a team. Only time will tell. I mean, it's hard to sit here and predict anything. I would never do that anyway. But at the end of the day, hard work, guys dedicated to what we're trying to get done will put us in position to win basketball games, I think."
On potentially changing style of play:
Woodson: "Well, it's hard to say. If I asked you guys, did we post the basketball more than we ran pick-and-roll last year, you would probably say we did. But we didn't. 53 percent of our play last year was pick-and-roll basketball; 47 percent was posting the basketball. Where the first year we dominated the post with Trayce. I would have been foolish not to utilize him. But we expanded him out on the floor a little bit last year, and he was able to do some things in that area. I don't know; I'm still looking at our style of play. I think you still have to mix it up. You've got to have post play, and everybody is playing pick-and-roll, which I was accustomed to doing in the pros. It's nothing new to me. But only time will tell in terms of our style and where we go with it."
On experience with NBA free agency helping with college transfer portal:
Woodson: "Well, I did it in Atlanta where we flipped that roster within two, three years, and then I can't sit here and say, look, I've got to wait -- I don't want to wait. My clock is ticking. I want everything this year. But in New York, I did it in one year where we brought in nine players and surrounded Carmelo Anthony with nine different players and was able to go and win the division and get to the second round of the Playoffs. That was a good run for our ballclub. But I had veteran guys when I did that. I'm dealing with young players now. You have to be patient with a lot of these young guys. I understand that, but then on the flipside, I've got to be myself and I've got to coach and push and try to get guys to do things at a higher level than probably they're used to doing. That's going to be important moving forward, I think."
On sophomores CJ Gunn, Malik Reneau, Kaleb Banks taking next step:
Woodson: "The beauty about this summer, a lot of these guys, they stuck around and they put in the work, especially CJ and Kaleb Banks. I'm expecting more out of them. They're not freshmen anymore. I need more. We need it as a ballclub. They're working in that area. They've done some pretty good things this summer for us. But we still as a team, we have a ways to go yet."
On what type of players he was looking for in transfer portal:
Woodson: "Well, again, I might have told Zach in our interview, listen, when I took this job, I made it clear to my staff that we had to go and recruit the best players, and they were like, damn, you just got here, you just can't go to the top, and I'm like, why not. I think we've positioned ourselves to be able to sit at the table with all the top players. That's not to say you're going to get them, but if you're not sitting there, then you don't have an opportunity at all. Mackenzie kind of stumbled into our hands, which was an amazing story. I mean, I don't want to get too deep into it, but at the end of the day, his mom gave us an opportunity to recruit him, and once he got here, we were able to close the deal and keep him here. Same thing with Ware. This is a 7'2" guy that a lot of teams wanted. But it takes work. My staff, coaching staff, have done a tremendous job of putting me in position to be able to get to the table and sit with these guys and be able to talk Indiana basketball and what I think and how I think they can help us and how I can help them."
On difficult nonconference schedule:
Woodson: "Well, it's going to put us in position. We have a tough schedule this season. I thought the last two years our schedule was tough. My thing is it doesn't matter who you play. If you're not ready to play and ready to play at a high level, any team in college basketball can beat you. I like competition. That's just my nature. That's how I've been all my life as a player and coach. You can't be scared of competition, man, or you're in the wrong game. This season is a tough season in terms of scheduling and the teams that we filled it this year to play. But it's what it is, man. We've just got to take it one game at a time and see what happens."
On sense of urgency this season:
Woodson: "Well, that's a great question. There's always urgency on my part. I mean, I want to win now. Yeah, losing Jalen and Trayce, that's huge. But hell, it gives other guys an opportunity to step up and play and be noticed and make a difference and help your team win basketball games, because that's what it's all about. I mean, I like our players that we've landed. It's on me; I've got to coach them up and get them ready to play basketball. That's what it's all about."
On observations of the Big Ten and what it takes to win the conference:
Woodson: "Well, again, I thought we put ourselves in pretty good position the last two years. In the tournament we were right there. I just didn't get them over the hump, man, and that's something that I live with every day of my life. Somehow I've got to get them over the hump. I'm the coach, and I've got to get them over the hump where we can hang another banner in here. I mean, that's all I think about, man. I don't think about any -- it's not about me. It's about these student-athletes that I've fielded this year for our ballclub, and I've got to try to put them in the best position possible to be successful."
On Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway as team captains:
Woodson: "Well, they've earned it. Unfortunately X didn't get a chance to show what he did the first year last season because of his injury, and make no mistake about it, I say it, you guys probably couldn't see it and didn't write about it enough, but losing Xavier Johnson last year was huge for our team. I mean, it hurt us. We were able to regroup and recover from it, and a lot of that had to do with Jalen and the supporting cast. We just didn't feel sorry. We got after it in practice and was able to maintain. X is back this year, and again, like I said, he's done it a little bit longer than most of the young men that we've got on our team, so I expect more. He's wearing that captain title on his head, so you've got to give me more, you've got to do more to help us win basketball games, and he will."
On Xavier Johnson being hungry after sitting out last year:
Woodson: "I think he's hungry. I'm sure it was the first time he's ever been hurt where he's missed practically the whole season, so he's got to be hungry. This is his last go-around. He can't come -- hell, how many years is this, six years for him? Hell, he's an old man. Hell, he can't come back for seven, so he's got to give us all he can give us this year to make it right. But I do think he's hungry, absolutely I do."
On getting Kel'el Ware to reach his potential:
Woodson: "Well, when I recruited that young man I told him, you cannot go back and get what happened the year before. You can't. The word is out; they knocked you and said, hey, you're lazy, you don't work hard, and if you make a commitment to me, that's got to change. I'm not always the easiest coach to play for, but I'm in your corner and I'm fair and I want what's best for you and my ballclub, and he made the commitment to me, and I'm going to push him to play at a higher level to help us win basketball games. I can't think or worry about what happened in Oregon. That's gone. He's got to move forward and build a new life here with the Indiana basketball team. That's what it's all about to me."
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